Tributes paid to former Nottinghamshire Police sniffer dog

Mij joined the police as a puppy and was with them for more than nine years

A sniffer dog who foiled a number of drug dealers, aided the discovery of guns and ammunition and helped police at the 2012 London Olympics has died.

English springer spaniel Mij joined Nottinghamshire Police as a puppy and served for more than nine years.

The force said he became known to police and criminals alike, one of whom "knew instantly he was in trouble" after watching Mij's exploits on TV.

He died on Tuesday at the "grand old age" of 17.

His former handler, retired PC Stu Hazard, paid tribute to the "scourge of drug dealers".

"He really wasn't the most obedient dog at all - but he was absolutely stunning at what he was trained to do," he said.

"Over the years we spent together, he sniffed out probably hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs - in cars, in houses and even in dark fields.

"He was that good as a sniffer dog that it was pretty much impossible to hide anything from him."

He said people would try to hide drugs in plug sockets, under floorboards and even once in a tub of coffee, but "Mij would find them every single time".

Retired PC Stu Hazard said sniffer dogs "do it all for a tennis ball"

The dog and Mr Hazard were featured in a number of television documentaries, police said.

On one occasion, upon seeing Mij in Wollaton Street, Nottingham, the driver of a car shook his head and "knew instantly he was in trouble".

"When I asked him if he had any drugs in the car, he just came straight out with it and showed us a bag of cocaine hidden in the foot well," Mr Hazard said.

"He knew he had nowhere to go. I remember thinking that was a real compliment for Mij."

Mij died after enjoying retirement with his new owners.

Mr Hazard, who would visit Mij regularly up until his death, said: "He really was a special dog and I was very sad to hear of his death. But I also felt a huge amount of pride at things we had done together."